Mamdani Opposes RSS Chief’s Event in New York

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has opposed an event featuring Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an ideological affiliate of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Bhagwat is scheduled to speak at the event in Manhattan on Saturday (August 29). The event is being promoted as a celebration of “universal unity” and is expected to bring together Hindu communities living in the United States.

Several individuals and organizations in New York have raised objections to Bhagwat’s participation, citing what they describe as the RSS’s history of extremism.

Mamdani said he does not support the event. However, he added that he was unsure whether New York City has the legal authority to cancel a private event.

Speaking about his views on India, Mamdani said his family had taught him to see the country as a pluralistic society and secular republic where equal rights and inclusion should be guaranteed for everyone.

He said it was deeply painful to witness the rise of an ideology based on an exclusionary and narrow vision of India.